Long Way Around
by Monkeybarrel
Summary: WA- Since Minekura hasn't spelled things out yet, a short look at what Kubota's and Tokitoh's meeting may have been. For Tokitoh's credit, it's understandable to be a little cranky when you wake up in a stranger's bed with no memory.


Disclaimer:  Yeah, I don't own Wild Adapter or anything with it.  No sue for you!

Warnings:  Language.  

Note:  Minekura started WA 2 one year after the end of WA 1.  I really hope someday she'll do a look back about that year.  As much as I like where the relationship is now, it'll be neat to see how it got there.  And so, just an idea.   

Long Way Around

"Who the fuck are you?"

It was the first thing Tokitoh ever said to me.  Doesn't sound very monumental, does it?  Even so, it's very Tokitoh-like, and that's fitting.  I don't know what I was expecting, if I was expecting anything at all.  Gratitude maybe?  I doubt it.  Whatever I did, and whatever I do, I just do it.  Never really think about it.  At least I didn't before.  Not sure if I do it now.  Don't really care one way or another.  

The question hung there for a second in the air.  Tokitoh in my bed, still looking weak even after Kou-san's medicine, but his eyes were narrowed and hard, and stared right at me standing by the door.  

He had been fully awake for almost a day.  Before that he'd just drifted in and out.  Kou-san came and went, making "Mmmmmm…" noises and leaving instructions.  I was then left to mix and heat strange smelling things, and carefully feed the stray cat that I had picked up.  His eyes barely focused then.  He just slowly swallowed the spoonfuls I gave him, and then his head would roll back, and he would fall back asleep.  It was a week of swallow-sleep, but his eyes were fully focused now and glaring right at me, waiting.  

I just stood there, staring right back.  His question made total sense, but for some reason I was still surprised.  What else would one say to the stranger who had literally picked you off the streets and took you into their home?  "Nice bed.  Yours?"  __

Thinking this, I couldn't help but laugh at myself, and the pointed glare from the bed narrowed even more.

"What's so funny?"

I could tell he was getting really pissed then, but it only made me laugh harder.  Just seeing him lying there, looking angry in my pajamas. 

"What are you, some kind of moron?"  His voice rose up a notch as I tried to conceal my laughter with my hand and was completely unsuccessful.  

"Listen, you asshole," he started to shift in the bed, and it dawned on me that he was trying to get up.  "No one laughs at me.  I'm gonna kick yer…ugh."  He had turned and lowered his legs to the ground, but when he tried to stand, they quickly gave out beneath him.  He fell, and without thinking, I followed. 

It was quiet for a second as we both lay there on the floor.  My arms holding him up off the ground and close to me.  I could feel his breathing, shallow and a little pained.  I pulled back a bit and looked down and saw him looking wide-eyed, first at me, then at my hands that were around his arms.  

"Are you alri-" 

I never finished what my first sentence would have been becausehe did another Tokitoh-like thing next.  

He hit me.  

I fell back, mostly from surprise, since in his current state his arm didn't have much power.  With me not there, he fell on the floor by the bedside.  We stared at each other.  Him lyingthere, trying to prop himself up on his elbow.  Me against the wall a few feet away.   

"Don't touch me," he said raggedly.  "…pervert."

"Sorry.  Just trying to help."  I leaned against the wall, curled me legs up and took out a cigarette.  

"I don't need your help," he said as his elbow gave out beneath him.  

"I can see that."  I lit the cigarette and breathed out slowly.

I looked down at him on the floor and found him staring again.  I held the pack towards him.  "Do you want one?"

He made a face.  "That stuff tastes like shit."

I shrugged and took another drag.  "That's why I like it."

His lips twitched.  "You're a fucked up guy."  

"So I've been told."

"By who?"  His breathing was slowing down as he talked.  He still looked guarded but the death-glare seemed to have passed.  I remained against the wall.

"You for one.  Others for another."

"Where are they?"  He swallowed and looked at me, eyes clear.

Dead, probably.  All in hell except for one.  I wondered what his face would be if I said that.  He looked like the type that's easily excited.

"Around."  I took another puff.

"That weird guy with the glasses, is he one?"

"Weird guy?"  I gave him a questioning look.

He rolled his eyes like I was a child he had to explain things too.  I held my cigarette back up to hide the smile I knew was coming.  "That weird guy with the glasses and the accent..  He keeps coming in and acts all pervy and shit.  He kept opening my eyes like this."  To demonstrate, he slowly took his hand, the non-clawed one, and opened his left eye with his fingers.  "I wanted to punch him, he kept doing it so much.  What the fuck?  I'm not blind."

"Oh, that's Kou-san.  He's a doctor…of sorts."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that he's helping you get better."

"Well, I don't like him."  He tried to sit up and face me, but his arms were still weak.  After some effort, he laid his head on his arm stretched out, like a pillow

"You don't have to."  I slowly reached for the ash tray by the bed.  His eyes followed my hand as it moved up and back.  

"And I don't like you."  His look was hard, but expectant.  Expecting what, I wonder?

"That's fine.  Doesn't matter to me."

"You just gonna sit there?"

"For now.  Until I get up."  I shifted a little in my spot, and he responded by moving back slightly.

"You are a fucked up guy, just sitting there, smoking and bleeding."

Eh?  I looked down at him.  "What?" __

He scrunched his face up, and sort of half-nodded towards me.  "Baka.  Your cheek."

I reached up and felt the side of my face.  A slight pain slowly registered as I traced a finger near my jaw.  It came back red.  I looked at it for a second and slid my index finger between my middle and thumb, blending the red into to my skin.  There must have been a claw in that punch he gave me.  I sat back and took another drag. 

He looked at me surprised.  I was appreciating how easy he was to read.  Everything seemed to slide across his face and rest in his eyes.  His coolly shrouded nervousness, his anger, his growing exhaustion-   

"So what now?"  He asked.

I shrugged again.  "Dunno."  I looked at my watch.  "Wantsome dinner?"  

He made another face.  "I can't stand that shit you keep giving me."  

"Sorry.  Doctor's orders.  Only soft foods."

"You can make something else, right?  Like eggs?"

"You want me to cook some eggs?"

He was liking this, I could tell.  "Yeah," he nodded.  "I want…an omelet."

"Sorry, no eggs."

Oh, he was pissed again.  I figured then how quick he changes. __

"What the fuck?  Why didya ask if I wanted eggs then?"

Shrugged.  "No reason really."

"Asshole."  Oops, then back came the death-glare, albeit a slightly sleepier version.  

"Anything else you want?"

"What?  So you can say 'sorry, don't have that'.  Fuck you."  

"No, so I can say, 'I'll go buy some then.'  Eggs and what else?"

He lay there silentfor a moment, looking at me.  Partly I think he was wondering how serious I was, and partly was probably going over a mental list of what he wanted.

I got up slowlyand turned towards the door.  "Just eggs then?"  I reached for the knob.

"…ice cream.  I want some ice cream too."  

I turned back. "Any flavor?"

"Vanilla.  And some coffee jello.  And…." He looked up at the ceiling, "Steak.  I want some steak."  

I leaned against the door.  "That's not soft."

He gave me this defying look.  "I still want it."  

"Okay okay.  Steak it is."  I just shook my head.  It didn't take much for you to win, did it?  "Is this all for tonight?  Steak-ice cream-jello-omelet?"  

I think he was smiling.  "Baka.  Not all together.  Two are dessert."

"Right right.  Silly me."  Somehow I held back in asking which two.  There was a small pause as we just looked at each other.   I tapped absently on the doorframe for a moment. "…You know, you'll catch a cold if you sleep on the floor."  

He looked down and then back at the bed.  "Oh…yeah..."  

I left the room while he was still looking at the bed.  After grabbing my wallet and my coat, I peeked back in before I headed out.  He was in the bed, eyes drooping.  

"Guess I'm off."  I gave him a salute.

I was almost out the door when his voice called out.

"Hey…"

"Hm?"  I looked back.

"….sorry….about, you know…" He nodded slowly towards me.  After a moment, my hand went to my cheek and to the band-aid now there.

"Oh, don't worry about it."

"Ah."  Is all he said.

Again, almost out the door-

"Hey…"

"Yeah?"

"…How long….am I gonna stay here?"

Another shrug.  "Dunno.  Guess until you want to leave."  

And again.  "Ah."

This time, I gotto the entranceway-

"Hey…"

I poked my head through the doorway into the bedroom. "Yeah?"  

He chewed his lip for a second.  "…just…who are you?"

"Oh."  Oh yeah.  My, we did take the long-way around, didn't we?  That's okay though.  "Kubota.  The guy who lives here.  Nice to meet you" 

He said nothing. Just nodded.  

It's alright, cat.  You can take your time.  I saluted again.  "Well, I'm off."

And that was that.  I slipped on my shoes, and so endedour first conversation.  Almost.  

"…Hey, hurry up and come back.  I'm starving!"

"Okay okay."  I laughed as I shook my head and opened up the door.    

Not very monumental, now was it?

But it was what I would later know to be very Tokitoh-like.  

And that's fitting.  

^^ 


End file.
